Garage sale/broken computer

My computer hasn't been working so I couldn't post on my blog for quite a while - so I'm catching up now!

Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t like having a garage sale!  But the youth were having a garage sale, to earn money for the temple trip, and needed a place to have it, because their usual place was not available. So we had it in our front yard.  Thank goodness it didn’t rain!  Quite the experience.  One of those days that you just pray you get through it, and it gets over with!  Lots of people supported them and it made them a good amount of money!  Some of the little boys went down on the corner with a sign!  Too funny!  I told my kids, that I got them all a nice outfit and a stuffed animal – or two!

A Hobbit in the Domaine!

Springtime .in Ashburton is so beautiful, with flowering trees and daffodils growing in the grass everywhere and heaps of baby lambs and calves!  It’s a beautiful time of year! It has rained a lot, but when the sunshines, it just makes you feel happy!  While in the Domaine one day,  Elder Neider found Sam the Hobbit! He was hiding behind a tree.  He coaxed him out from behind a tree and made friends with him. We love this Hobbit! (He said that when he started dating his wife, 12 years ago, that her brother said he looked like a Hobbit, so it’s not just us that think so!) 

This Hobbit friend and his wife, Andrina,  and their 3 children, have been so kind and loving to us.  They invited us to a wonderful Father’s Day dinner, and had made a cute gift for Elder Neider, with  a magnet and little fiish with paper clips, that had nice things written on them, each  hooked to a chocolate!!  This is the second year in a row for Father’s Day with them.     

A special family

This sweet family, is one of Elder Neider’s, and his companion Mark’s, home teaching families, and I was the mom's visiting teacher for a long time! They are from the Phillipines,, and the mother and father are both return missionaries, and they are working on a dairy farm here.  Andrew got baptized! All three of these kids, are so smart! (So are their mom and dad!) We love this family so very much!

Princess Shakyla

Kindergarten graduation for  Princess Shakyla! She made her own crown!   Since her grandparents all live in Australia, we got to be “honorary grandparents”! Very fun. We also took their good friend, Andrea, and we got to meet Anne’s sister.   The next day, they were leaving to go to Australia for 2 months, to be with her dad who is over there shearing sheep for a few months.  I have been called to be the “acting Relief Society President while Anne (who is the real RS President) is gone.  Her counselo, Tasi, r also moved to Wellington the same week, to live. The other counselor, hasn’t been able to come to church for a couple of months, so the secretary, Vickie and I, are holding down the fort!  

Good Friends

This is one of the families, that Elder Neider and Mark, (standing with Vickie), home teach.  We had them for dinner.  Viliam (William)  has been our home teacher, since we got here! His wife Amelia, is the bishop’s wife’s sister, and is our primary president.  We love this beautiful Tongan family – they have been so good and loving to us.               

The new Mark and Vicki!

This is the new Markie and Vicki, sporting their new Sunday duds! When they first came to church Mark wore a t-shirt, shorts and crocks, and Vicki wore pants.  Since they got baptized, they have bought a new suit, new shoes, and white shirt and tie for Mark, and Vicki has a beautiful skirt with pretty tops.  They have always been beautiful, but are even more beautiful now - and are full of sunshine! We love these two!

Renaldo Kenneth !

Elder Neider has a “name sake” in New Zealand.  Our friends Penny and Tangi  have named their new baby boy, Renaldo Kenneth !  And they ask him to bless the baby today.  This is a sweet family that we went to the temple with, to see them sealed a few months ago.  That was very special.